Beginning on Friday (March 18), and continuing through the following week, we’ll pour Flights of wines from Inspiration Vineyard and two smaller red and white flights.
Our Inspiration Vineyards Flight will include:
- 2007 Chardonnay Russian River Valley
- 2007 Viognier Russian River Valley
- 2007 Pinot Noir Los Carneros
- 2006 Zinfandel Alexander Valley
- 2007 Zinfandel Alexander Valley
Our Mini Sauvignon Blanc & Cheese Flight will include:
- Schweiger 2007 Uboldi Vineyard Sonoma Valley
- Honig 2008 Napa Valley
- Clos LaChance 2008 Central Coast
- Midnight Moon (goat) Cypress Grove
Our Mini Grenache-Syrah & Cheese Flight will include:
- Anglim 2006 Grenache Paso Robles
- Greystack 2007 “The Folly” Syrah-Grenache Dry Stack Vineyard Bennett Valley
- Herman Story 2007 “On the Road” Grenache Santa Barbara Co
- Barely Buzzed (cow) Beehive Cheese Co, Utah
On March 19, we will host Winemaker Jon Phillips in the shop. Jon will present five wines from Inspiration Vineyards located in the Russian River Valley. The tasting will be from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Jon will be pouring a Chardonnay, a Viognier, two Zinfandels and a Pinot Noir.
Based on sales last week, the most popular red wines were the Grey Wolf 2007 Instinctual (Syrah-Grenache) Paso Robles. The best selling white was the Spann 2007 Chardonnay-Viognier North Coast.
Wine Classes. We are planning to offer more Wine 101 classes later in the year The next two such classes will be on May 15 and August 7. An additional 101 class will be in November. These classes will cost $35.00. In between these classes, we will schedule a variety of “Subject Specific” classes. Some of these classes may cost more than $35.00 depending on the wines/curriculum. We’ll update you on those classes as they are developed. Seating is usually limited to 12 persons and reservations are necessary. You can either go to Elizabeth’s site at www.winewisdomandwit.com, where you can click on “C W&C Class” and pre-pay via Paypal or call 626-358-6500 and reserve your space in the class In that instance, please plan to pay at the class by check or cash directly to Elizabeth.
Our next Wine Class will be Saturday, March 27 at 3:00pm. The class will focus on different wine regions of California. We will explore the many diverse regions of California and taste examples of the best wines from them. It is amazing to learn the many differences in climates, soil, grapes, and wine-making styles of the various regions.This class is for beginners and advanced tasters. We taste wines, discuss, and challenge ourselves with further education. The class will cost $35.00. Please see the above paragraph for details on registering for this class.
We have a display of black and white photography on the West Wall. These are the works of William Martin. His pictures cover a wide range of geography from California to Maine. His focus is on the outdoors, but you can almost walk into his stunning photo titled “Maine – Waiting” and imagine so much of the past. Bill will be in the shop from 6 to 8:00pm this Saturday evening.
Stop by Sunday afternoons when we’re joined by Norman Davis who plays classical and light jazz pieces for a couple hours. His guitar playing provides a relaxing back drop to the whole wine and cheese experience. The music starts at 3:30PM.
Tax Free Wednesdays. On Wednesdays, all retail purchases will be discounted 9.75%. As previously noted, this discount will not compound with others already available.
The Cheese Corner
True enough, St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, but Jeff wanted to extend that sense of good craic we all feel on that special Irish holiday. Yes, craic is pronounced the way it looks, but in Irish, it’s more about enjoying the company of good friends than passing a pipe around! Anyway, we have just received a shipment of “St. Pat” from Cowgirl Creamery. This springtime cheese is made with whole organic milk from the Chileno Valley Jersey Dairy and wrapped with stinging nettle leaves. Do not fear the nettles, since they are frozen to remove the sting before they are wrapped around the cheese. The cheese has a distinctive, green rind. After three weeks of aging, it’s mellow, soft, and full of flavor. The nettle leaves impart a smoky, artichoke flavor.
Upcoming Events:
As noted above, on March 19, we will host Winemaker Jon Phillips in the shop. Jon will present five wines from Inspiration Vineyards located in the Russian River Valley. The tasting will be from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Jon will be pouring a Chardonnay, a Viognier, two Zinfandels and a Pinot Noir.
Bistro 45 will offer a Wine Dinner accompanied by the wines of Hahn Estate, Santa Lucia Highlands, on the evening of March 29. The wine, all from the Santa Lucia Highlands, will be as follows: 2007 Chardonnay, 2007 Pinot Noir, 2007 Pinot Noir Lucienne Oak Vineyard, Smith & Hook 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2007 Syrah Santa. The cost is $75 pp. Bistro 45 is located at 45 S. Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA. Contact the restaurant at (626) 795-2478 or check the web site www.bistro45.com for more information.
On Tuesday, May 4, Noir Food and Wine will feature Winemaker Dan Goldfield. As many as ten Dutton Goldfield wines will be poured, all paired with a dinner menu created by Claud Beltran. Go to the web site at www.noirfoodandwine.com to make you reservations.
